With Mélissa Cowl, Birth Doula Trainer

Menstrual Cycle 101

Basic Female Reproductive Health Lesson #1

As doulas, it is important to understand the female anatomy and the reproductive system. The following video by THINX is very well done. Yes, there is a marketing strategy to it, but if you watch the whole video, you understand where the marketing angle fits in.

There are still young girls who are not educated about their impending menstrual cycles nor what is normal about it. These girls often stress about the normal fluids that are expelled and think that there is something wrong with themselves. They also stress about the colour and odour of the blood, again, thinking there is something wrong. There are teenagers who believe that they can get pregnant thirty out of every twenty eight days. There are women who do not understand that five weeks pregnant means you have just missed your period and that due dates are actually a range over five weeks. We will get more into the cycle and pregnancies but for now – let’s just start with “periods”.